Snapshot of Oregon’s Principal Traded Sectors

The state’s traded-sector industries are made up of clusters of businesses that sell their goods and services in competition with firms outside the state. These clusters—groups of similar firms, their suppliers and workers—are the key sources of Oregon’s economic prosperity.

High Technology. This is now Oregon’s largest industry, with 70,000 jobs, the largest share of state export revenue, and more than 10 percent of U.S. semiconductor output. Employment has grown 5.6 percent annually the past decade. Average wages are more than $58,000 annually.

Forest Products. Logging companies, sawmills, plywood plants, and paper mills employ nearly 57,000 Oregonians, but employment has been declining an average of 2.5 percent per year over the past decade. Oregon has lost market share in the nation’s wood and paper products markets.

Metals, Machinery, and Transportation Equipment. This industry, which makes everything from aluminum to trucks to aerospace parts, employs about 45,000 and accounts for $1.5 billion in exports. Oregon metals firms have outperformed their counterparts nationally, and employment has grown 3.7 percent annually since 1988.

Agriculture and Food Products. This sector employs about 90,000 and accounts for about $1.4 billion in annual exports. Average wages are about $16,000 annually, due to high levels of part-time work. Oregon’s output growth has tracked national averages during the past decade.

For more information on Oregon's traded-sector industry clusters, visit the Oregon Business Plan sponsored website OregonClusters.org.